James b



(No Model.) Y

J. B. GRANGER. GAR COUPLING.

No. 427,683. Patented May 13, 1890.

[72 mentor:

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES B. GRANGER, OF DELHI, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO AARON STEARN, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 427,683, dated May 13, 1890.

Application filed March 4:, 1890- Serial No. 342.627. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES B. GRANGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Delhi, in the county of Delaware and State of New York, have'invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to that type of carcoupler which is provided with a link-lifter; audit consists in a novel link-lifting baillike lever frame applied in supports or brackets on each side of the draw-head and on a plane below the bottom or sills of the ear, and which is adapted to be swung up by its front handle-bar underneath a link within the draw-head of a stationary car, and thereby lift said link to a coupling position with respect to the draw-head of a moving or approaching car.

It also consists in certain novel features of construction, combinations, and arrangements, whereby the said frame is protected from injury when the cars come together be fore the handle portion thereof .has fallen from its horizontal or nearly horizontal lifting position, its automatic return to its normal position insured, and provision made for taking hold of the link and effecting any nec essary lateral adjustment of the frame and link together for bringing the link. to a sure coupling position, as will be hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front or end view of a freight-car with my link-lifter applied to it, the link-lifter being shown hanging down at right angles to the draw-head and the coupling-link inclined with respect thereto. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the same, the lifterand link being shown by full lines raised to the proper posilifter, showing collars or shoulders shrunk or otherwise formed on or applied to it, instead of its being bent for the purpose of forming jaws to take hold of the link and move it laterally, as occasion may require, in order to insure the coupling of the cars. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the lifter and one of its loop-like guiding supports or brackets and one of the springs, whereby the lifter is kept in connection with the car and yet allowed to recede and get out of the way without injury when it is accidentally struck by an approaching car and'is returned to its normal position. Fig. 5 is another perspective view showing a modification of the support or bracket shown in Fig. 4:.

A in the drawings designates a'car having an ordinary sliding spring draw-head a, coupling-pin b, and link 0.

B is the bail-like lever-frame, formed with short transverse axial or pivotal arms cl, having bent retaining ends cl, vertical end limbs (1 and a long transverse lever-handle portion d extending from near one side of the car to the other side thereof. At a point midway of the length of the handle portion and directly central of the chamber of the drawhead a U-shaped bend (Z is formed in the said handle portion (1 by bending the same horizontally in a rearward direction, as illustrated by full lines in Fig. 1, and more clearly by the dotted lines in Fig. 3.

Instead of bending the handle portion of the frame, collars (F, as in Fig. 2, may be shrunk or otherwise applied on said handle portion for the same purpose as the bend d is provided. This frame is applied below the car in loop-like supports or brackets 0, fast ened by their front ends to the lower edge of the front sill or other part of the front of the car, asindicated at c, and by their rear ends to the under side of the side sills or other por tion of the bottom of the car by bolts passed through holes a in the said rear end of the said supports or brackets. It will be observed that the brackets are formed with heels or shoulders, as at 0 and that the bottom por tions of the brackets are thereby depressed below the bottom of the car on about a hori zontal plane, the said shoulders and the shoulders formed by the front vertical portions of the bracket, giving the brackets, when in position, a loop-like form, as represented, and in these loop-like brackets the pivotal arms 61' of the frame are allowed freedom to move back and forth underneath the car, and thus provision is madefor the frame B to move back out of the way without being injured in the event of its being struck by an approaching car before it has descended out of the way. Around these loop-like brackets, between the shoulders 0 c spiral springs D are coiled, the rear ends Of said springs being fastened to the rear ends of the brackets, as indicated at c, and the front ends connected to the pivotal arms of the frame, as indicated at ,0. By thus applying these springs the frame is provided with yielding cushions against which it can, come in contact, and by the compression and yielding action of the springs it is allowed to recede and save itself from injury when it is accidentally struck by an approaching car. These springs serve another important purpose-that of returning the frame to its normal position as soon as it drops to a vertical position, and thus placing it in position at the front of the car for its adjustment to a horizontal position for lifting the link to a coupling position.

The frame B is constructed with its pivotal arms of sufficient length rightand left of the brackets to allow it to be moved sidewise to anyextent necessary for adjusting the link laterally to a proper coupling position. The U shaped bend d of the long transverse leverhandle portion cl of the frame forms a depression of greater width than the link, and the link is caught in this depression and held from a disconnecting sidewise movement by the side jaws g g of the bent portion,while if the frame is moved laterally the link will be drawn or thrust to the right or left, and thereby brought into proper coupling range with the chamber of the draw-head of the approaching car.

In Fig. 5 the angular front portions of I the brackets 0 (shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4) are left off, and the loops of the brackets are formed by doubling a metal bar provided with shoulders h h, and around these brackets springs are coiled, being fastened at their rear ends to the brackets, as shown. The pivotal arms d of the frame B are fitted in the loop-brackets forward of the springs and move against the springs, as will be clearly understood from the drawings. This construction of the brackets admits of the frame being set farther forward in cases where the'draw-heads are of uncommon length, and thus adapting the invention to varying styles of cars This link-lifter might be applied to platform or passenger cars and serve a useful purpose.

What I claim is- 1. In a car-coupler, the bail-like lever-frame B, applied in supports below the car,substantially as described.

2. In a car-coupler, the bail-like lever-frame B, applied in loop-like brackets below the bottom of the car, substantially as described.

3. In a car-coupler, the bail-like lever-frame B, in combination with loop-like brackets and springs, substantially as described.

4. In a car-coupler, the laterally-slidin g baillike lever-frame B, formed with a U-shaped bend or collars and applied below the bottom of the car, substantially as described.

5. In a car-coupler, the longitudinally or backwardly and laterally sliding bail-like lever-frame B, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES B. GRANGER.

WVitnesses:

W. G. EDGERTON, GEO. A. STURGES, Jr. 

